What does it look like to raise unvaccinated children with confidence — navigating hospitals, schools, and community while staying grounded in your choices?

I'm joined this week by Katherine Sigblad, host of the Mom's Off the Record podcast and mother of two unvaccinated children in Florida. Katherine brings the perspective of a mom who has thought deeply about these choices — not from theory, but from lived experience. Her eight-week-old daughter's hospital visit tested everything she believed about navigating the medical system, and she came through it with insights worth sharing.

Show Notes:

With the Wind with Dr. Paul — Show 207: Pediatric Perspectives: Unvaccinated Kids, Parents Challenges with Katherine Sigblad

Host: Dr. Paul Thomas

Guest: Katherine Sigblad Host of Mom's Off the Record podcast; mother of two unvaccinated children

Series: Pediatric Perspectives

Length: Approximately 27 minutes

Summary

In this episode of With the Wind with Dr. Paul, Dr. Paul Thomas is joined by Katherine Sigblad, host of the Mom's Off the Record podcast and mother of two unvaccinated children in Florida. Katherine shares her family's journey with holistic health — from the early influence of a "crunchy" uncle who taught her to question the status quo at age ten, to the hospital experience with her eight-week-old daughter that tested her confidence and her boundaries. The conversation covers navigating the medical system without apologizing for your choices, the reality of vaccine shedding at school, finding community when you don't agree on everything, and practical strategies for raising children who think for themselves.

Key Points

  • 00:00:41 — Opening, CHD welcome, and guest introduction
  • 00:02:04 — Katherine's path to holistic health: learning about GMOs, antibiotics, and questioning the status quo starting at age ten
  • 00:04:02 — Hospital experience with her eight-week-old unvaccinated daughter: home remedies first, trusting maternal discernment, and knowing when to go in
  • 00:08:24 — Confronting a shaming doctor: standing ground without debating when your child's care is the priority
  • 00:10:09 — False positive UTI test leading to unnecessary IV antibiotics — and the gut-healing work that followed
  • 00:12:28 — Recovery and healing: GAPS diet, meat stock, ferments, and the importance of never leaving a child alone in the hospital
  • 00:17:14 — Sending unvaccinated children to school: Florida exemptions, vaccine shedding realities, and choosing not to live in fear
  • 00:19:04 — Dr. Paul explains which vaccines shed: live virus vaccines including MMR, varicella, rotavirus, and the COVID shot
  • 00:21:31 — Parenting challenges: finding community when you don't agree on every topic — and why it's worth doing anyway
  • 00:24:02 — Raising critical thinkers: open-ended questions, Tuttle Twins, Brave Books, and letting kids decompress before engaging
  • 00:26:28 — Katherine's podcast info, St. John's wort and baking soda bath tips, and closing thoughts

Quote

"I really do believe that when we set a healthy foundation with sunshine, rest, happy, authentic human connections in person, and of course food, that when we do encounter sickness of any sort, we're more resilient, it's less intense." — Katherine Sigblad

Resources

Disclaimer

The information shared in this episode is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. It does not establish a doctor–patient relationship. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional regarding medical decisions.